Olympic organisers issue apology after making embarrassing error in Paris opening ceremony

Olympic organisers have been forced to issue a public apology after making an embarrassing blunder during Friday's opening ceremony for the 2024 Games in Paris.

While the sporting action got underway earlier this week, the formal opening of the Games took place on the banks of the River Seine on Friday evening.

Hundreds of thousands of spectators turned out to view the event despite miserable weather conditions in the French capital, with millions more watching around the world.

There was a mixed response to the opening ceremony, with some questioning why the French had opted not to hold it in an Olympic venue like previous Games.

Due to its unusual setting, athletes from every national team were paraded to spectators on boats, rather than entering a stadium with their flag as is customary.

And there was a major error made during the ceremony, forcing organisers to issue a public statement.

As South Korean athletes travelled along the Seine as part of the ceremony, they were wrongly announced as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - the official name of North Korea.

South Korea's full name is the Republic of Korea, which was correctly stated on a sign on the side of their boat.

The mistake was made by announcers in both French and English during the broadcast of the event, forcing the Olympic committee to issue an apology.

It posted on X: "We deeply apologise for the mistake that occurred when introducing the Korean team during the opening ceremony broadcast."

Mark Adams, a spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), added in a separate statement: "An operational mistake was made.

"We can only apologise, in an evening of so many moving parts, that this mistake was made."

The mistake occurred during Friday's Olympic opening ceremony (Image: Getty)

Sky News report that the South Korean Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism vice minister Jang Mi Ran requested a meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach over the incident.

A statement released by the ministry confirmed it had also asked South Korea's Foreign Ministry to file "a strong government-level complaint" with the French government.

It is not the first time the two Korean nations have been mixed up at an Olympic event.

North Korea's women's football team walked off the pitch at the 2012 Games in London after the South Korean flag was erroneously shown on screens ahead of their match with Colombia.

They were eventually persuaded to return after the flags were corrected, with the North Koreans going on to win the game 2-0.